Since man started using fire as a light source, whether this was a wood fire, candlelight, oil lamps or gaslight, these sources of illumination produced relatively smooth distribution of spectral energy across the human visible spectrum (400 to 700 nm). Even when Edison invented the incandescent light bulb, the tungsten element, glowing with heat, produced light having a similarly smooth, full distribution of energy. Consequently, when colored objects were illuminated by any of these light sources the colors looked essentially similar to the average viewer, whose vision compensated for changes in color temperature, i.e. the excessive blue of daylight and lower levels of blue in heat generated illuminants.
With the invention of illuminants having discontinuous spectral distribution such as fluorescent tubes, differences in the appearance of certain colors became very noticeable when viewed under such discontinuous sources. This became particularly relevant with the introduction of color film and television in the 1940s, but was not initially a problem because the prime artificial light sources were full spectrum arc lamps and quartz halogen, the latter a more efficient use of tungsten.
In the 1970's, to reduce air-conditioning loads, studios started using fluorescent and HMI lighting. Since 2010, LED light sources have become increasingly popular in cinema and TV production, because they are lightweight, very efficient and generate even less heat than other types. The downsides are that the light emitted by LED illuminants is discontinuous, there are few if any standards and that LEDs deteriorate with age.